Trash To Treasure Quilt Block

Something beautiful from those bits of scraps that wind up in the floor, or the bin, or are too small for anything else!

Posted by Kelli Fannin Quilt Designs

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This is an easy, no rules way to make a scrap quilt. Just stitch those bits of scraps around the edges of a white square, dice it up, stitch it back together and voila! A trash to treasure block.

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You Will Need (7 things)

  • colorful scraps of fabric
  • white background fabric
  • Rotary Cutter
  • Cutting Mat
  • Sewing Machine
  • Thread
  • Grid Ruler

Steps (12 steps, 30 minutes)

  1. 1

    Cut a 5 1/2" square (or whatever size you feel like cutting, depending on how big you want your final block) out of whatever background you choose. I chose white.

  2. 2

    Gather some scraps from the floor..er.. I mean from your scrap bins. Strips, tiny bits, etc. Anything really. I like bright colors.

  3. 3

    Begin applying them haphazardly or strategically (whichever suits you) around the outer edges of your square. Stitch, press to the outside, repeat.

  4. 4

    If you have a gap like this, just be sure to angle your next fabric enough and place it far enough in to cover it.

  5. 5

    Work your way around the edges. Save the excess that you trim off for later use on this or another block.

  6. 6

    If you have tiny or smaller pieces, you can piece them together and then sew them on.

    Keep adding and stitching until you have about 2" worth of scraps on each side of your square.

  7. 7

    Turn your block over, and trim each side 1 1/2" from the edge of your white square. (red line represents trimming line.

    *You can save the bits you cut off for the next block.

  8. 8

    You will have about a 9" block give or take. Make enough blocks for however big you want your quilt to be.

    **Also, it doesn't matter how big you make your blocks, as long as you trim them all to the same size before you stitch them into a quilt top.

  9. 9

    If you stop now, and make 16 blocks, or however many you'd like to make for the size of quilt you want, you could have this!

  10. 10

    If you added a border around each of them and some white sashing, it might look like this.

  11. 11

    Or you can take it one step further and dice your block into quarters and sew it back together into the rough shape of a cross.

  12. 12

    And your quilt might look like this with some block borders and white sashing.